Nearly 1 million Indians stuck in US green card queue—some may have to wait 179 years

Nearly one million Indians are waiting for US employment-based green cards, accounting for 79% of the estimated 1.26 million people in the backlog, according to a National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis.

An Indian professional whose labour certification application or employment-based immigrant petition was filed in January 2026 or later could face a potential wait of 179 years in the EB-2 category and 38 years in EB-3, the analysis said. The potential wait in EB-1 is estimated at four to five years.

The estimates do not include additional government processing time.


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India’s backlog rose by 19.3%

NFAP estimated that 996,599 Indians were waiting in the first three employment-based preference categories as of December 2025. This included:

• 51,619 people in EB-1
• 731,566 people in EB-2
• 213,414 people in EB-3

India’s total backlog increased by 161,344, or 19.3%, between April 2020 and December 2025.

The EB-2 backlog rose by 17.6%, while the EB-3 backlog increased by 51.1%. The EB-1 backlog fell by 28.3% during the same period.

Why are the waits so long?

NFAP said two main features of US immigration law are responsible for the delays.

The first is the annual limit of 140,000 employment-based green cards. This limit was set by Congress in 1990 and includes both the main applicants and their dependent family members.

The second is the per-country limit. Under this rule, nationals of one country generally cannot receive more than 7% of the employment-based immigrant visas available in a fiscal year.

The limit affects applicants from large countries such as India, China and the Philippines. NFAP noted that India and China receive the same country limit as smaller countries such as Iceland and Luxembourg.

Total employment backlog crossed 1.2 million

The employment-based backlog across the first three categories increased from 1,048,342 in April 2020 to an estimated 1,264,495 in December 2025.

The EB-1 backlog fell by 16.6% during this period. However, the EB-2 backlog rose by 22.9% and the EB-3 backlog increased by 30.1%.

NFAP calculated the total backlog using US Citizenship and Immigration Services data on approved principal applicants. It estimated the number of dependent spouses and children using the share of dependents among employment-based immigrants in fiscal year 2024.

What the categories mean

EB-1 covers people such as individuals with extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers and professors.

EB-2 covers professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability. A bachelor’s degree followed by five years of progressive experience may also qualify as equivalent to an advanced degree.

EB-3 covers professionals, skilled workers and other workers.

August and September Visa Bulletin updates

The NFAP report referred to the August 2026 Visa Bulletin, under which Indian applicants seeking to file for adjustment of status needed priority dates earlier than October 15, 2022, for EB-1 and January 1, 2014, for EB-3. EB-2 India was listed as unavailable.

The September 2026 Visa Bulletin showed no change in these employment-based final action dates for Indians. EB-1 remained at October 15, 2022, EB-2 remained unavailable and EB-3 stayed at January 1, 2014. The bulletin also warned that the EB-1 category for India could become unavailable if the country’s annual limit was reached before the end of the fiscal year.

For filing applications, the September bulletin listed December 1, 2023, for EB-1 India, January 15, 2015, for EB-2 India and January 15, 2015, for EB-3 India. Applicants must also check the USCIS guidance on which chart can be used for adjustment-of-status filings.

A priority date is generally the date on which the government receives a permanent labour certification application or, where labour certification is not required, an immigrant petition.

NFAP said applicants from India in EB-2 and EB-3 who filed in 2025 or 2026 are more likely to face waits measured in decades than years unless Congress changes the law.

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Backlog grew despite additional green cards

The employment-based category received 980,460 green cards between fiscal years 2020 and 2024, compared with an expected 700,000.

The additional 280,460 green cards came from unused family-based immigrant visa numbers. These numbers became available because of lower family-based visa issuance during the Covid-19 period and related processing problems.

Despite these additional green cards, the employment-based backlog still increased by 20.6% in five years.

Labour certification adds further delays

Most employment-based immigrants require labour certification. The process can take two to three years, according to NFAP.

The Department of Labor’s website listed an average processing time of 403 days for PERM applications under analyst review and 290 days for applications under audit review as of August 2026.

NFAP said the long waits affect US companies trying to attract and retain skilled workers. Many applicants remain in the country on temporary H-1B status while waiting for permanent residence.